I’m Furqan Ahmed—builder & connector in Web3 since I was 17 (2016) and a clueless college kid. I taught myself to code at 13, dove headfirst into Ethereum at 17, and expanded into Polkadot/Substrate (learned Substrate from THE Brian Chen from Acala/Laminar), contributing to open-source projects across the Polkadot Ecosystem. In 2021, I founded Anmol Network (now Escala Labs), launched it in Theater of Digital Arts, Dubai (TODA); grew it to 150K active users, and raised $1 million in seed. Today, I’m spearheading our next fundraise for Escala Labs, — a Web3 coordination engine and proof layer that connects contributors, KOLs, investors and projects to unlock compounding trust and drive scalable growth. In 2025, I’ve founded ETH Pakistan 2026—Pakistan’s first international Web3 summit, to unite Pakistan’s diverse innovators—policy-makers, founders, developers, investors and change-makers—in a landmark event that sets the trajectory for our nation’s Web3 future. I’m also a core contributor to KTON DAO, Ring DAO and the Ring Community Guild, focusing on the guild’s growth and consulting its portfolio projects on growth, funding, and incubation strategies. My current favorites are: - Helixbox.ai – a simpler way to DeFi - DeGov.ai – an AI-powered DAO governance & management platform Over the past four years, I’ve also been deeply involved in the global Web3 community, contributing to ETHGlobal Singapore, ETHGlobal Bangkok, Pragma Denver and DevCon7 South-East Asia (SEA). In 2024, I was invited to speak on a Cosmoverse, Dubai about on-chain scalability and expanding applications across ecosystems. Those experiences, plus countless meetups from Dubai to Denver, have given me a truly global network—one that I’m always eager to expand. Outside of work, I’m a PADI certified avid scuba diver, with a knack for wreck-diving (one of my first wreck dives took me 100 ft down to a sunken 1800s slave ship), an activist for onboarding the next billion users to Web3, and someone who believes we’ll soon use blockchain without even noticing it’s there. If you’re working on something in Web3 or adjacent fields—whether it’s a new project, an event, or just a fun idea—let’s connect. I’m always up for exchanging notes (or diving tips). Drop me a line at hello@furqan.me or send a DM here or on Twitter @furqanDotAhmed.